Tea Story
What's it with tea shops & me…? The connection is hard to explain as it closely borders on those realms of attraction based on ethereal abstractions. The sight of a tea shop gives me goose bumps and lights up my life in ways manifold that cannot be penned down in words. I collect tea-shops & can smell a tea shop from miles away in fact. And once out of one, I'm infinitely haunted by those dusty corners, clinking of glass and the fleeting aromas.. for eternity.
Speaking of tea shops I'm not hinting at the cozy-couched, coffee-machine powered, spic & span coffee-shop of a tea shop, But the thatched, leaky roofed, wooden-bench lined, smoke-filled, glass-shelved, heavenly smelling tea shops where the smell of freshly brewed tea that is poured out and mixed from pot to pot in a rather distinctive stretchy frothy style transports the drinker to magical worlds. Though I've tried re-creating this 'transportational effect' within the confines of my kitchen many a time, I haven’t managed to transport anyone anywhere yet.
One of the oldest memories of mine is that of a thatched tea shop on the misty mountain-top of Kodaikanal where I'd been to as a little child... The mountains had a pristine air about them then. I remember the beautiful wood roses in bloom that entwined with the thatch of the shop-roof which still gives that memory the touch of a fairy tale. Sipping from the steaming glass of tea in that chilly weather, enjoying the beauty of the mist clad mountains, still remains one of the most picturesque & aromatic memories of my childhood, from which I believe, sprang forth this lifelong romance with tea shops. Years later, on re-visiting Kodaikanal with my husband and daughter, nowhere was I able to single out that little tea shop from among the multitude of chic looking tea & coffee shops that appeared to have mushroomed all over the place.
Though it left a hole in my heart, I would always admit that the little hill-town of Kodaikanal still remains one of the most beautiful little getaways that can cool down the hottest of heads on fire with its cool and misty charm.
Though it left a hole in my heart, I would always admit that the little hill-town of Kodaikanal still remains one of the most beautiful little getaways that can cool down the hottest of heads on fire with its cool and misty charm.
Travelling another few tea-shops down the lane, I can see in my mind’s eye the little tin-roofed tea-shop inside our college premises where I’ve had the best times sharing heated thoughts and steaming tea with the best of my friends, sitting on the iron railings, watching the leaves fall and adorn the historical grounds.
Nothing in this world can replace that springtime of life spent in the company of the like-minded, the different and sometimes even the belligerent, the people who would hold a special place in my heart all throughout my life. I strongly believe that those cups of tea had in them tea dust, dreams, youth, romance, madness, philosophies, ideas and ideologies mixed in equal measures that blended to create the best brew ever.
Nothing in this world can replace that springtime of life spent in the company of the like-minded, the different and sometimes even the belligerent, the people who would hold a special place in my heart all throughout my life. I strongly believe that those cups of tea had in them tea dust, dreams, youth, romance, madness, philosophies, ideas and ideologies mixed in equal measures that blended to create the best brew ever.
Pic Courtesy: Google
Agreed.
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Hey Ranjini, Thanks dear. Just recovering from the 'Onam' fever & lethargy here. Guess I'll need a hot strong cuppa to prod myself back into action now!
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